Universal communication through art

Abstract

Dating back to prehistoric times, art has been serving as a means of communication for humans (Blundell, 2006). Considering that communication is the process of transmitting information and common understanding (Keyton, 2011), does communication through art occur only when people share a common understanding of art? When looking at art, do people need to look for the message as intended by artists and as defined by art historians? At a time of intense social, political and environmental changes, art museums could serve as social spaces that encourage communication among the public. This article explores the concept of art as a universal communication regardless of one’s artistic abilities and art background vis-a-vis my research projects concerning the national art museum as a public educational resource. As part of my research, I carried out three community projects with young adult participants (aged 21- 30years). I exchanged ideas with the participants about the way they engage with the national art museum collection in Malta. Throughout the three projects, regardless of their artistic ability and aesthetic background, all participants communicated experiences, feelings and ideas through art.